ASA - Havasu 95 to Close 2007 with ASA Track Program

HAVASU 95 SPEEDWAY T

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 12, 2007) - Havasu 95 Speedway, located in scenic Lake Havasu, Ariz., re-opened this season with new ownership and tremendous response from the community, but lacking the support of a national sanctioning organization. Now, nearly three-quarters of the way through their "inaugural" season they have joined the ASA Member Track program and will close the season under the American Speed Association banner.

When asked for an assessment of the season to date, Dennis Rudin, along with co-promoter Bill Rozhon thought for a moment, and then said, "I would say that we have done quite well so far. The stands have been full, and we have been getting decent car counts so we are pretty much a success so far. I would say that we are pretty close to where we thought that we would be at this point and maybe even a little bit ahead of that projection." Rudin, along with Bill Rozhon, is a co-promoter of the quarter-mile paved oval.

The track had sat dormant for several years, but re-opened in September to the delight of the community. Rudin explained that he thought that the time was right to update the racetrack and bring motorsports back to the desert oasis.

"I moved to Lake Havasu 18 years ago and used to go to the races back when it was still a dirt oval," he reminisced. "It was standing room only back then and the population of Lake Havasu was around 14,000 people. Today, there are more than 70,000 residents so we thought that we had a pretty good chance of being successful."

Havasu 95 Speedway runs a winter schedule to avoid the grueling desert heat during the "traditional" racing season. The regular Saturday evening program includes Late Models, Modifieds, Legends, Pure Street Stocks, Factory Stocks and Bandoleros competing from September through the May 5 season-finale. Rudin and Rozhon have booked a number of special touring series as well, including the ASA Speed Trucks, West Coast Pro Trucks, USAC Ford Focus Midgets and even a Monster Truck show. The complete schedule can be found online, along with results, point standings and plenty of other data about the racetrack at Havasu95Speedway or telephone (928) 854-6450 for pre-recorded information.

Prior to opening day, however, the pair had a lot of work to prepare the vacant facility for both crowds and competitors. A new crash wall was built through the turns which were formerly open, a new safety fence was constructed, and as expected, considerable repairs and maintenance needed to be done all through the racetrack.

Though Havasu 95 Speedway currently has a capacity of 4100 it is typically close to being sold out so Rudin said that future enhancements include doubling the grandstand capacity and opening up the backstretch to festival seating so people can come, bring their own chairs, and picnic while watching the short track action.

"The response from the community has been real positive. The support has been great and everyone seems to leave with a smiling face," Rudin added.

The news that Havasu 95 Speedway is so fresh that many of the competitors may not be aware of the change yet as the contract was only finalized last Friday. Rudin said that an announcement was made over to the PA to the weekend crowd and was met with positive response.

"Dennis (Huth, president of the ASA Member Track, Regional and National Racing programs) had been talking to us about the many advantages that the ASA Member Track program could bring to us and our competitors," Rudin explained about the mid-season joining. "We did our homework too and talked to some other ASA tracks like the Orange Show Speedway. They have all been pleased with the ASA association and I think it will be good for us also."

During the next few weekends the teams will be greeted by the sight of ASA logos springing up around the facility, and for the first time the competitors will be covered by the renowned ASA participant accident insurance. The ASA insurance program, always noted for its excellence, includes much enhanced and expanded ASA-exclusive $500,000 participant accident medical. ASA Member Track operators are able to purchase general and excess liability, automobile, workers compensation and health insurance directly from TOPIC Motorsports Insurance (TMI). Details are available online at TOPICinsurance .

"I think it is fun to have racetracks like Havasu 95 Speedway join the ASA Member Track program as their schedule runs opposite from most of the tracks, but now we can offer that exciting ASA short track racing year-round," Huth said. "I think that we can now say that there is ASA action somewhere in the country all 52 weeks of the year."

"It is really great to see a vision come to reality and that is what Dennis and Bill have done with Havasu 95 Speedway. They saw a chance to bring racing back to the community and have been rewarded with great crowds, solid fields, and excellent response from the community. That is what short track racing is all about, and that is what ASA is proud to be a part of."

To learn more of the Daytona Beach, Fla.-based ASA Racing Member Track program, call (386) 258-2221 or send an e-mail to info@asa-racing.com. For news and information from all the racetracks and regional tours involved in the ASA, visit http://www.ASA-Racing.com/">www.ASA-Racing.com